Apple offers live video shopping with a dedicated advisor

The American giant Apple has established itself as a benchmark for innovation in the computer and mobile markets. But beyond hardware, Apple is also constantly seeking to renew the experience of users and buyers of its devices, particularly through innovative purchase paths. The latest example is the launch of the "Shop with a Specialist" service, which allows customers to benefit from the assistance of a dedicated customer advisor via video.

FACTS

• Apple has just introduced new live shopping sessions for its American customers and prospects. The "Shop with a specialist" service allows its users to interact live with specialists, members of the Apple sales team. 

• The goal? To help customers and prospects of the brand to make the best possible choice according to their needs, among the vast range of existing Apple products. 

• Only the iPhone range of products are concerned for the moment, the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Plus in particular.

• Users of the service can follow a secure video session to discover the latest models of the brand, their features, the offers proposed by operators, the trade-in conditions of the Apple Trade In program or the financing options of the devices.

• The service is complemented by a comparison tool to help consumers choose the best deal for their budget.

• The service is accessible from the Apple website in the U.S., between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., every day. In addition to the video service, "Shop with a specialist" is also accessible by phone or chat, 24 hours a day.

CHALLENGES

• To overcome one of the last disadvantages of e-commerce : The whole point of going to an Apple store was to be accompanied by a qualified salesperson and to benefit from his or her advice. For a long time, Apple has valued "geniuses", these salesmen repairers, recruited above all for their knowledge of the brand and their passion. Apple is now taking a different option by valuing remote access to this skill, thus removing a potential barrier to online purchasing. This option is all the more adapted as it concerns devices whose price is increasingly high and justifies the accompaniment of a salesperson.

• Converting new customers : With its new service, Apple is also looking to convince loyal Android users. A part of the "Shop with a specialist" videos is dedicated to a crucial question for users of other brands' smartphones, regarding their switch to the iOS system. 

MARKET PERSPECTIVE

• While Instagram had been allowing shopping via Direct Messages since last July, Meta made the choice to stop the live shopping feature first for Facebook in October 2022, then for Instagram in February. 

• Yet promised to a bright future, live shopping experiences are struggling to find their audience in Europe and the United States, where social commerce would represent only 5% of the e-commerce market, according to Insider Intelligence.

• However, these experiences are still in high demand among Chinese consumers. Apple is inspired by it to strengthen the proximity with its customers and future customers by relying on video.